Mac Undercover by Mac Barnett

From Goodreads,

"Before Mac Barnett was an author, he was a kid.
And while he was a kid, he was a spy.
Not just any spy.
But a spy...for the Queen of England.

James Bond meets Diary of a Wimpy Kid with this groundbreaking fully-illustrated chapter book series Mac B., Kid Spy. The precious Crown Jewels have been stolen, and there's only one person who can help the Queen of England: her newest secret agent, Mac B. Mac travels around the globe in search of the stolen treasure...but will he find it in time? 

From secret identities to Karate hijinks, this fast-paced, witty and historically inspired chapter book will keep readers guessing until the very last page. With full-color illustrations and fascinating historical facts masterfully sprinkled throughout, this series offers adventure, intrigue, absurdity, history and humor. Discover this totally smart and side-splittingly funny new series, and experience what it's really like to be a kid spy."

Goodreads - The Mac Undercover

At the beginning of this school year I applied to be a part of the Scholastic Insider program.  The program sends teachers a book each month for them to review and share with their students.  Surprisingly I was able to get accepted into the program and I received my first book yesterday.  I was absolutely excited and sat down to read my first book, Mac Undercover. 

This book is about a young boy named Mac who gets a phone call from the Queen of England about her missing spoon.  He flies to England and decides to become a spy to help the Queen find her spoon.  As the story unfolds we find that Mac tries to steal the Mona Lisa, but fails when someone else steals it from him.  The book comes to a hilarious end that left me begging for a second book. 

I absolutely loved that this book was packed with historical references and locations.  For example one of the references was the Louvre.  Mac talks about some of the things housed there and informs us of which of them have good names.  I think that this book is packed with so many references that it could be used as a springboard for a research project to study famous buildings and pieces of art.  Students could research the details of the topic and really connect it back to the book.  I think that many of my students will have their interest piqued by something in this book and they will have a strong desire to research and investigate. 

This book was packed with illustrations that went along with the story.  I had mixed feelings with the fact that only a few colors were selected and used to color the pictures, but I eventually got over it.  The illustrations really gave the story a different dimension and they were kind of funny.  It made the book seem more interesting because it has the comical pictures to go along and help the story. 

I am so excited about sharing this book with my students.  I think that many of my boys are going to absolutely love this book, and honestly some of my girls may love it too.  I give this 5 stars.